Bill > HR3456

This bill proposes to amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit keeping African and Asian elephants in captivity at zoological parks and safari parks in the United States. The legislation, known as the "Captivity of Helpless Elephants Reduction Act of 2025" (CHER Act), is based on findings that elephants are highly intelligent, social animals that suffer significant physical and emotional trauma when kept in captivity. The bill requires that all elephants currently housed in zoos and safari parks be transferred to authorized wildlife sanctuaries within three years of the Act's enactment. An authorized wildlife sanctuary is defined as a nonprofit facility accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, dedicated to lifelong elephant care, and prohibited from breeding, exhibiting for profit, or using animals for entertainment. The bill mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture conduct a feasibility study on elephant transfers, potentially establish a grant program to support sanctuaries, and develop public education materials about the welfare benefits of ending elephant captivity. The legislation is part of a broader global trend of recognizing the ethical concerns surrounding keeping elephants in captive environments, noting that their average lifespan in captivity is significantly shorter than in the wild and that many zoos worldwide have already begun phasing out elephant exhibits.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3456/all-info